by Dr. Tori Jessen and Stefanie Buckner
Cartoon content is often dismissed by educators as either too silly for college courses or too cumbersome to create. However, animated content has proven to be strikingly effective with our dual enrollment students and possesses a staying power that traditional course content simply does not. Come explore the history of cartoons in education, discuss examples of effective course cartoons, and brainstorm ways to incorporate animated content in your own course. We will identify three key opportunities for cartoons in online courses and provide a five-step guide on building animated content.
A well-crafted cartoon can do more than entertain, and you don’t have to be a Disney animator to create one. “If we can dream it, we can do it!
Dr. Tori Jessen is an instructor with the University of Alabama’s Early College, where she teaches a college readiness course for all incoming dual enrollment students. In addition to preparing students for their college career, Tori is continuing to pursue research in connection to her dissertation, as well as exploring new research tracing the connection between class-size and student experience.
Stefanie Buckner has taught the UAEC 200 College Readiness Course at The University of Alabama for eight years. As a Senior Instructor, Stefanie has led three major course revisions and creates a variety of course materials, including scripted videos, screencast tutorials, animated content, and online interactives. She enjoys exploring ways to humanize online education, and she is passionate about making the online learning environment effective, engaging, and empowering for students.